Hideaway
by Verbal Tic
Summary: Querl leaves the Legion after Brainiac 1's defeat in an attempt to deal with the aftermath of the disaster and his new state of being. But no matter how far he runs or how well he hides, problems still find their way to him.
1. Prologue

Querl's hollow. Or not, perhaps he's just too overwhelmed to tell. The last few weeks have been illogical enough to warrant a sensory mistake like that, even if it is a failure on his part. But where the light humming of electrons moving in perfect order and machinery working efficiently used to be there is nothing. This new, biological body feels foreign to him.

From time to time he can feel stabs in his abdomen or a dry pain in his throat but those feel distant, even if he knows exactly what they are and how to solve them readily. Salu, as foolish and forgiving as ever, told him he would get used to it in time. He doubts that, coming to the conclusion that recent events and his emotional state will not go over well with the rest of the Legion. So he leaves.

He travels to RTY-65, an intergalactic junction orbiting Jupiter. The junction is far from the most welcoming place in the galaxy but it lets him be anonymous, a big advantage for someone who has just tried to destroy the entirety of the known universe. Querl never enjoyed much public positivity but several planets are calling for his head due to the disaster with Brainiac, laying low seems like the best alternative if he wants to keep it for another while. RTY-65 is the perfect place for that, thousands of sentients and hundreds of tons of cargo passing through it each day makes it easy to blend in.

He stands in a waiting hall and stares up at the holographic timetable flickering in and out above him, scanning it for suitable departures while trying to look like he knows what he is doing. Querl has no idea where he should be heading, the logical answer is as far away as possible but that also means exposure. Another alternative is to head for one of the less pristine but nearer planets, at least a few of them should be ignorant enough of recent events to let him slip by. There are two departures to such planets, one to the sultry Bo'har with it's dense forest and one to it's colder, more densely populated twin Kva'har. Neither of the planets are known for their law abiding population or will to work together with the space police, and both of their flights depart in less than four Earth hours.

He could head to either of them, work in someone's lab and dodge the radar until it stops being necessary. Which would be about never, if his assessments are correct. If nothing else it is a viable plan for the near future. As for the planets, Kva'har's dryer climate would certainly prove to be less problematic for anything mechanical and it would be easier to blend in in one of the planet's large metropolis. He has not seen them in person but files on the planet state that they're massive, housing up to 16 million citizens per city. They seem like the perfect place for him, a place where he can do away with his ancestor's influence and perhaps even live a nearly normal life. Whicch would be a pleasing outcome.

He buys his ticket and has to half sprint through the junction to make it to the spacecraft on time. It's docked at the far end of the junction, swaying dangerously as each passenger boards it. There is rust along the ancient ship's joints and the raw, metallic smell makes Querl nauseous as he boards the ship and makes his way to the front. He sinks onto a chair clad in frayed fabric and leans his head against the window, staring out into space.

The ship leaves the dock with the screeching of metal against metal, making an uncomfortable yet not directly painful sensation travel up Querl's spine. He sinks further into his seat, knowing fully well that he should be used to the sound. It should be as familiar to him as breathing to a human but for some reason it's not, not any more.

He gets a last glimpse of Earth as they depart, the shining planet shrinking away until it is all but invisible. Invisible for biological creatures with standard or lesser sight, of course. In an attempt to ignoring the nasty, clenching feeling in his chest he looks down at his hands in his lap, dragging one set of fingers over the warm, smooth surface of the opposite hand. Biological creatures like _him, _that's it.


	2. An encounter

People surrender Querl, pushing him in every possible direction as they all try to get to some place or another. Every other being he pushes against stinks or secretes some equally foul liquid and none of them stop to apologise or even look at him for more than a few seconds. He's clutching a holo screen close to his chest and occasionally looks at the job add displayed on the screen, advertising a simple job as a lab assistance. The job is well below his competence but he tells himself that it's secure, as secure as it gets in a place like this; A place that's quite clearly even more unfriendly than the files say.

Querl rounds a corner and stops in front of a tall, solid metal gate with a large, yellow sign on it: '_Hartvark __Laboratories_' it says in Interlac. He takes a deep breath, drags his hand through his hair in a futile attempt to hide the dreaded symbol on his forehead and presses the intercom button beside the door.

"Hartvark Laboratories, state your business" a monotone, static voice says. Querl clears his throat.

"I'm here to speak to a doctor Fra about a job opening." There's a click and the gate swings open to reveal a small, fenced in courtyard. It's barren but well maintained with a single metal door to his right. The door opens as the gate closes behind him and he steps inside, entering a dim corridor. Querl follows the narrow passage, searching for the doctor or his office.

"Bionic scan complete. Identity: Unknown. Species: Unknown." Querl spins around but sees only a smooth wall. He slowly backs away, eyes darting back and forth for the source of the voice that seems to echo around the hall.

"Welcome Unknown! Doctor Fra is awaiting you. Please follow the yellow arrows on the floor." Though convinced that there had not been any arrows there just a moment before Querl looks down, finding a row of small, yellow arrows forming a straight line down the corridor. They look like something from one of Bouncing Boy's 20th century films. Yet, from what Querl had discerned the film involved a human child, a set of primitive robots and a large mammal, things he doubts he will encounter in a laboratory. The unusual likeness almost settles the peculiar nervousness that has been creeping up on him since he entered the building though there's something about the place that has his whole body on high alert. He takes another deep breath to try to calm himself and raises his head, walking down the corridor with all confidence he can muster. The arrows stop in front of a shiny metal door and he hesitantly knocks on it.

After a moment the door slides open and Querl finds himself standing face to face with a towering, grey humanoid who peers down at him. It's stare makes his skin crawl and he has to will himself to look back up at it while he tries to brush forward his bangs again.

"Are you _Unknown_?" the humanoid asks in a voice that could have commanded armies. It's loud and unforgiving, and it makes Querl feel very small.

"No, I don't believe so. I am Idon Erx of Colu. I seek a place of employment in your facilities." The humanoid blinks and Querl draws a breath as the unchanging face continues to stare down at him. Then it laughs with a low, rumbling sound that's even worse than the earlier staring. It's knowing, mocking him ever so subtly.

"What do you take me for, a fool? I know one of your kind when I see it, even if you hide like maggots in rotten meat." One of the humanoid's giant fists wraps around Querl's upper arm. "You may think you can just waltz around with your noses in the air but I've got news for you. Your kind aren't welcome here, _Dox._" It lifts Querl into the air.

"Let me down."

"Oh, of course I will let the little, little maniac down. The poor boy is _sca__red_." The humanoid exhales and Querl coughs as it's rotten breath hits his face.

"What do you want?" he ask.

"A sense of order, I suppose. That's your speciality, is it not?" Querl opens his mouth to answer but the humanoid grabs his jaw first, twisting it upwards until Querl has to look at it's face. The pain quickly spreads through his whole face and he lets out a low whine.

"I should probably kill you right now but that would be a tad bit too easy, would it not? Your kind do not deserve such an easy death." The humanoid slams Querl into the door frame with a loud crack. Gasping for air he tries to open his eyes but before he can he is thrown to the floor. The creature kneels over him and slams his head into the hard floor until Querl is screeching, red flashing before his eyes. His head is pulsating and he does not notice that the creature has closed in on his face before the mouldy stank of it's breath hits him.

He whimpers and coughs, tasting metal on his tongue. Through half-lidded eyes he can see hundreds of teeth reflect the light from the corridor, saliva rolling down them like condense on a beaker.

"Let's get this straight, _Brainiac; _You do not belong here." Querl's fingers slowly move towards his belt, towards the unit that activates his force field. Should activate it at least, as far as he remembers he has not actually checked it for damage in the last week and a half but with the creature's breath in his face there is little time for that. He reaches the button and with a low hum his force field fires up. The humanoid recoils with a hiss.

"Coward!" It draws up to it's full height a meter or two away from him, clutching the hand it had held Querl's jaw with. Querl tries to get to his feet; At first he can not bring his legs to move but by moving ever so carefully he gets to his feet after a while, all while the humanoid stares.

"Hardly" he says. Lifting his feet hurts and moving is a painfully slow process, though strangely enough the humanoid does not make a move to follow him. Instead it smiles again, baring it's many teeth and making him look over his shoulder. He has almost reached the end of the corridor when it speaks again and he freezes in place.

"So that's how it is, huh? A most impressive solution by the universe itself, none the less. I think it's what your dear earthlings would call 'karma'. But you don't believe in that; Do you, _Brainiac?_"

Querl starts to move again, as fast as his aching body allows to. There is some part of his new emotional spectrum that urges him forward, pushing down on him like a really bad outcome is inevitable. Considering the humanoid's words he realises it might as well be, he does not really have any assets and if everyone on this planet acts like the humanoid it will be a miracle if he survives for even a few days.

Hot, sandy air hits him, coming from where the sturdy wall had been a moment ago. He turns, finding himself in an alley guarded by tall, windowless houses. The corridor he came through stays as such briefly but then the metal folds in on itself, creating a proper wall and completing the alley. It is intelligent metal, nothing he has not seen before; Just not in this kind of place. Another dry wind blows by, making the dust on the street ahead of him twirl up into the air.

Perhaps it would be better to re-evaluate his plan.


End file.
